"You look worse for wear, what happened?" Sorzana asks Tharnomath, not hiding her small smile.
"Ulthris managed to get the better of me." Tharnomath replies in a low and cold tone whilst creating an icicle.
"Who's this?" He says, pointing the just made Icicle towards Abaddon.
"Your new…Euh… I guess nephew." Sorzana immediately replies, cutting off any chance for the children to explain it themselves.
"What?"
"You know in our family dynamic. We have cute Eli in the center, Secessus as the older brother, I would be the cool aunt and you and Ergillaz would be the uncles. Ergillaz the rich one and you, the uncle with a short temper."
"You're getting weirder these days… Wait, how would he become a nephew of mine in that theory of yours?"
"Well, he's Eli's boyfriend, of course!" Sorzana exclaims in a surprisingly innocent and cheerful tone.
The surrounding temperature drops drastically. Tharnomath's mood has visibly deteriorated as he puts his recently made icicle against Abaddon's throat.
"Wha…"
"NO, NO HE'S NOT!" Eli yells out quickly, in an attempt to defuse the situation.
"He's someone I met a long time ago. Plus, he saved me, so put the down the icicle." Eli continues, ending her sentence in a firm tone.
Tharnomath dispels his temporary weapon, seemingly satisfied with Eli's response as the temperature rises to a normal degree once more.
"Thank you for helping out. Now, if you don't mind, we have to go." Tharnomath says in a stern and organized manner. Clearly trying to leave this new child behind.
"Wait, we're not going to leave him behind, are we?" Eli asks, actually confused.
"We don't have any more space for him."
"Your estate has multiple buildings with four floors!"
"He's going to be too noisy."
"We have Randyl in the estate. An imp that's constantly running off with magical artifacts!"
"The only reason why that little thing still breathes is that he knows when to trust his survival instincts and play dead. I doubt that your friend here has the same abilities."
"I don't, but I can simply stay quiet." Abaddon interjects in a calm tone, trying to sneak himself in the mansion.
"Take him with you, Tharnomath. The least you can do is let him meet Secessus and Ergillaz." Sorzana says in her normal seductive tone. Her ruby red eyes, which normally show complete calmness combined with a hint of playfulness, tremble at the end of her sentence.
"What is this…Ergillaz....." Sorzana Soquil mumbles under her breath, looking towards the arena district.
Not looking at the others standing beside her any longer. Sorzana begins to run in the direction of the arena district.
"Sorzana!" Tharnomath yells towards the running succubus.
She looks around, her ruby red eyes glaring with impatience and annoyance.
"I also felt it. Go, but keep in mind this is no longer a game. If they have it, then she's way more prepared than we could imagine." Tharnomath says in a somber tone, his six golden eyes looking downwards.
Sorzana Soquil does not reply, she simply continues to make her way toward this new development.
"What's going on?" Eli asks confused.
"We have to make haste. You boy, are you prepared to fight if needed?"
"Will you try to kick me out afterward?" Abaddon replies in a snarky tone.
"I can't promise that we'll keep you, but I can at least vouch for you and perhaps catch a spear if needed." Tharnomath says in a serious tone, showing that he's not kidding.
"What?"
"If Sorzana is going around telling everyone that… Never mind the last part. Are you prepared?" Tharnomath continues in a grim tone.
"Yes, I am." Abaddon replies firmly, moving closer to Eli.
"Why aren't you answering my question? What's going on?" Eli asks in a tone that shows annoyance and concern.
"Is… is my brother alright?" She asks hesitantly.
"I don't know, he's too far away. When I left him, he was busy fighting Ulthris. It's something else that has become worrisome... The chimeras have joined the battle." Tharnomath replies, motioning the children to follow.
"You there bull!" Tharnomath calls out towards the bull chimera that initially carried him nearby.
"Yes?" it replies in a surprised tone.
"You can also join us if you like."
"Really?"
"Do I truly need to repeat myself?"
"No, no following right behind you, Tharnomath."
"Don't call me by my name."
"Oh ok sorry…." The bull chimera replies in a frightened tone.
*****************
[Beginning of the battle, Ergillaz's tale]
Before the invasion began, Ergillaz was with Ashmodai discussing any possible findings. Ashmodai had previously been exploring the "lower" parts of lucille's Light, trying to find anything unusual. The only report was that the abandoned district felt more tense than usual.
Sitting in one of the more luxurious taverns of the arena district, the discussion has come to a halt. The lack of any hints or information made it hard to act.
"Do you wish for me to go to the abandoned district again?" Ashmodai asks whilst shuffling a deck of cards.
"No need, it's not a place where anyone actually knows anything about. I doubt the inhabitants even have a clue… If they can even speak" The bronze-skinned, golden-eyed devil replies with a sigh.
"…" Ashmodai does not ask any further questions. He simply continues to shuffle the deck of cards in his hand.
"Ashmodai, how capable are you in breaking and entering?" Ergillaz asks, clearly trying to get to a certain point.
"I can use illusion magic, so I probably won't get caught. But if you're talking about disenchanting defensive runes, then it could become more problematic." Ashmodai answers honestly.
"That's the problem, I have no idea what you should expect." Ergillaz replies, surprisingly troubled.
"What do you want me to do?" Ashmodai asks, trying to gain an exact idea.
"I had a confrontation with Treyah Tuldani not too long ago. He admitted that the church had performed the ritual to disturb the veil and summon a reincarnated being. Eloisa was the result of the matter. I understand their "desperation" and I am no devil to judge." Ergillaz says his golden eyes giving an eerie feeling.
"Desperate people make stupid decisions."
"…"
"I need you to go to where these experimentations were being held and make sure that they've not hidden anything."
"Anyone in particular that I should investigate more thoroughly?"
"For all his faults Treyah Tuldani would not do anything overly foolish, Botwolf is simply not interested, Mosk is not capable of anything spectacular, Kinea is dead. I don't know much about the other 3, only that Hudan Hakel is leading the experiments, so he's someone you should definitely keep in mind." Ergillaz says softly, sounding like he's simply speaking his thoughts.
"Well then, I should get going. Perhaps I'm lucky enough that they've left the door open." Ashmodai says cheekily.
Chugging whatever he had left in his cup, he stands up and walks out of the door.